"13.Ninguémascended into heavenexcepthe who descended fromheaven, theSon of Man. 14.Assimas Moses lifted upthe serpent in thedesert,evenso mustthe Son ofMan be lifted up. 15.Assim, whosoeverbelieve in him, in himwill have eternallife.""16.PoisGodso lovedthe world that hegave his onlySon, thatwhoeverbelievesin him shall notperish but haveETERNAL LIFE. 17.Defact, Godsent hisSon into the worldto condemntheworld, butthat the worldmight be saved throughhim. "(1) (emphasis added).

A.BIGCUORE´S REFLECTION:wonderfultext of the Gospelof John, whereJesusmakes it clearin the dialoguewith Nicodemus, thepathway of discipleshipis theway of the Cross. There is noresurrectionwithout the cross!

By acceptingJesus did notthink thatall your problemshave been solved, assomepastorspreach. NotjustADMIREJesus!.It is imperative toroll up their sleevesand engageinpastoralwork andcontributethusto the improvementof the KINGDOM OFGOD. Having faithin Jesus, assumeATOSCONCRETElove of neighbor. As Paul says, "love is the bond of perfection." In one of hislettersJohnsays: "FAITH WITHOUTWORKSisDEAD" !.The Crosssymbolizes theultimate revelationof God to menandalso the symbolof salvationof Christians. To illustrate, let us reflecton the Bookof Numbers, Chapter 21In the desertthe peoplemurmured againstMoses, saying: "5.Por that tookus out of Egypt? Wastodie in the wilderness? We have neitherbreadnorwater, and we'resickof this breadof misery. "(Numbers21: 5). Mosessendspoisonoustopoketheir bodiesand many diedsnakes. As a result, the Jewscry out toMosesthat the LordGod (Yahweh) to stop themsendingpoisonous snakes. So GodtellsMosesto make abronze snakeandputon a pole, so thateveryone who isbittenandlook at thatrodwill be healed. (idem, vs.6-9).